The Eight of Cups illustrates a man who walks away from the eight cups. The cups are designed in such a way that it looks like one is missing, a symbol that emotional fulfillment is lacking. The man has turned his back on cups with a sense of disappointment and walks away into the hills. A river signifies his emotions. The mountains far away express the awareness of this not being an easy walk. The moon in the night’s sky brightens the path – the man is leaving in the night hoping to go unseen, implying that there may be a sense of escape in this card.

Upright
Disappointment, abandonment, withdrawal, escapism
Reversed
Trying one more time, indecision, aimless drifting, walking away
Astrology
Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Element
Water
Eight of Cups

Upright Eight Of Cups

When the Eight of Cups appears in a Tarot reading, you may feel forced to walk away from a frustrating situation. It could mean ending a relationship, job or project that was once a cause of pleasure to you but now only causes you sadness. You gave yourself emotionally but, despite your best attempts; it hasn’t turned out the process you had assumed, and you understand that you are no longer getting anything out of this. Now, the only option is to move on, even if it brings you sorrow as you say goodbye.

The Eight of Cups implies you feel that something is missing and instead of waiting around, you know you need to leave that disappointing situation. It may not make sense to other people because on the surface, it looks as if you had all you had wanted – although, you know it’s not serving your Highest Good.

The Eight of Cups can be a hint that you are trying to leave a problematic situation or avoiding some major emotional problems. The Cups in the front symbolizes emotional issues that are present in your life. Yet you are trying to act as if they don’t exist, refusing to solve them. 

The Eight of Cups calls you to ask yourself what causes you joy, happiness, and satisfaction on a deep level. Without it, you might track goals that don’t give you the fulfillment you’re endeavoring. So, if you find yourself repeatedly in these Eight of Cups states, spend time examining what will give you real happiness and recreate your aims with your preferences.

Reversed Eight Of Cups

The reversed Eight of Cups shows that you may be stuck between walking away from an unpleasant situation or giving it one more chance. But the true question is, ‘Can the situation progress, or is it a lost faith?’ Check-in with your feeling to know whether you should give this circumstance one more opportunity, or if you should let go.

If the reversed Eight of Cups is joined with more inactive cards such as the Hanged Man or the Four of Swords, then it may be a hint that you want to try one more time. Though, if this card combined with a more dynamic card (for example, Eight of Wands or Chariot), it could be time to move on.

The reversed Eight of Cups calls you to listen to your feeling about your next action. Others may have an idea, but it comes down to what’s essential to you. Only you know if this circumstance is serving you and if there is hope.